The Curse of Anubis
by Magi Mana
Summary: Zombie AU. There is only one goal: Survive. But how does one survive something that seems determined to send them to Anubis, a curse that will destroy them all? With determination and Duel Monsters. A little bit of luck never hurt either. Will everyone make it?
1. Mana

_**Here it is people, the full story to Surviving with Duel Monsters, my zombie AU. Though the better analogy would be to say Surviving with Duel Monsters**_ _ **is the trailer and this is the full movie. Also note that half the story will be told through flashbacks. One scene will be the present-day, and the next will be some time in the past dictated by the first flashback note (some may jump more and will noted with that scene). I'm going for a borderline-abstract form, so I will definitely appreciate any and all feedback on this story.**_

 _ **And for the usual disclaimer, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, I would go to the Duel Monsters Spirit World to escape the zombie apocalypse.**_

* * *

Chapter One: Mana

"Dark Magic Attack!"

Mana Mazaki felt herself relax as the Dark Magician vaporized the horde attacking them. Her hand instinctively moved to the circular pendant around her neck as the purple-robed spellcaster faded.

"It's a good thing Joey and Tristan didn't come with us," her friend Yugi Muto said as he ran a hand through his spikey hair. "They would have blown through all their ammo with that horde."

"Atem could have left some for the rest of us," Mana looked to Yugi's twin brother. "Dark Magician Girl could have taken them just as easily."

"Mana, you know we can't summon the spirits that long," Atem rolled his amethyst eyes at her.

"But it's boring using the guns," Mana pouted.

"That's because you can never hit anything with them," Atem teased her. She scowled and punched his arm. "Ow!"

"You asked for that one," Yugi laughed. "Come on. Let's get our supplies from the university and get back to the shop."

"Right," the other two agreed.

The trio ducked into the nearest building of Domino University. Mana gripped her pendant as their footsteps echoed through the hallways. It was hard to believe it was once bustling with students and teachers. Now the entire campus was abandoned.

The twins started jimmying the nearest vending machine. Mana walked farther down the hallway to see if there were any other supplies they could use.

The bangles on her pendant started glowing and levitated themselves, pointing up the stairs on her right. Following the pendant's lead, Mana ventured up the stairs and down the corridor. The bangles rested when she came to a door she knew. She opened the door and stepped inside.

Her heart ached when she saw all the artwork in the room. She and several other art students were preparing for an art gallery when the outbreak occurred. Mana froze when she came to one of her own paintings. Two people sat at the base of a mansion, their gaze focused upwards. One was a guy with brown hair falling into his deep blue eyes and dressed all in black except for his white sleeveless trench coat. His arm was wrapped around a girl with long white hair and sapphire eyes wearing a light blue hoodie and jeans. Their gaze was focused on a large white dragon flying through the starry sky.

"Do you want to take it with you?" Atem said from behind her.

Mana elbowed him. "Don't scare me like that, Atem!" she snapped. Sighing, she turned back to the painting. "I don't know. It's hard to believe it's been over a year since all this happened."

* * *

 _Domino University. One Year Ago._

"Ta-da!" Mana pulled the tarp back covering her latest painting so her friends could see. She was especially proud of this one; she sure hoped her friends liked it.

"Mana, it's beautiful," Kisara White's sapphire eyes moved from the couple sitting at the base of the mansion to the dragon flying above them.

"How'd you get Rich Boy to pose for this?" Joey Wheeler asked. "Kisara, I can see, but Rich Boy barely comes to campus as it is."

"I didn't," Mana grinned. "I've sketched him enough times when he's around I don't really need to use him as a model."

"So you don't need him but you make us sit for hours while you to paint?" Joey glared at her.

"I don't _need_ to," Mana answered, "but it's kind of fun to boss you around when I'm painting."

"She's got you there," Tristan Taylor laughed.

Joey pulled him into a headlock. "You want to go, Tristan?"

"Your art has definitely improved from the stick figures you used to draw in chalk in front of the store," Atem said.

"Oh, like you did any better," Mana narrowed her aquamarine eyes at him. "I remember some really awkward cats by my stick figures. And your cats still look the same."

"And that's why I'm not an art student," Atem countered.

"So is this what you're putting in the gallery?" Tea Gardner asked, interrupting the friends' banter.

"One of them," the artist answered. "We can submit up to three. I'm still debating which of my others to do."

"Ooh, do the one with Atem in a dress!" Joey grinned.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Atem sighed. "That is historically accurate to what pharaohs wore at the time. It is _not_ a dress. Mana paints one historically accurate picture with me as the character, and I never get to live it down." He held up the canvas of him dressed in the beige and blue kilt and tunic of a pharaoh with a long navy cape billowing from his neck. Resting on his head was a golden crown with an eye symbol in the center, and gold adorned his arms. Around his neck was a pendant shaped like an upside-down pyramid. He fought against a guy his age with wild white hair and brown eyes with a hint of madness, enhanced by the scars along his right eye. He wore a crimson overcoat and a black kilt, and he carried a sack of treasure over his shoulder. Mana called Atem's opponent "The Thief King."

"Technically, there's more than that one," Mana pointed to the corner in the room where she had two more paintings.

One had Atem dressed in the pharaoh's garb from his battle with the Thief King. Behind him were other characters Mana had dubbed the priests and friends. Some of the characters were members of their group: Kisara and her boyfriend Seto Kaiba, Mana and her brother Mahad, his girlfriend Ishizu, Yugi and Atem's grandfather. Others were characters Mana made up: an older man with hooded robes covering his white hair and his left eye, a bald man with pupil-less blue eyes and black markings on his forehead wearing beige robes, and a muscular man with shoulder-length black hair and green eyes. Each wielded an Item with the same symbol on Atem's crown.

The second one had their entire group dressed as ancient Egyptians. Mana called it Egyptian Cosplay. Atem was once again dressed as the pharaoh; Yugi wore the garb a prince with a black tunic and white leggings with his own navy cape and a smaller crown in his hair. Their black, magenta, and blond hair drew the eyes to the royal pair. They chatted with Tea, Ishizu, and the Mazaki siblings. Tea held Yugi's hand, her short brown hair adorned by a circlet golden crown, and she wore a white dress with a pink cape and golden belt. Mana had on a short beige dress with off-the-shoulder straps and a matching hat adorned her brown hair. Mahad wore the beige robes of a priest with a headdress covering his hair and the Mazaki family pendant around his neck. Ishizu leaned in close to him, a beige headdress framing her tan face and blue eyes. Her family's heirloom necklace glittered around her neck. To the right Tristan gripped Joey in a playful headlock. The blond and brunet boys wore white shirts trimmed in black and black leggings. The pair was chastised by a blonde Egyptian warrior with violet eyes—Mai Valentine. Laughing next to Mai stood a girl with long auburn hair and hazel-gray eyes. Joey's sister Serenity wore a long white dress with a gold colored sash. The last two members stood in the back, one watching the group with amusement and the other with annoyance. Kisara's long white hair contrasted the short beige dress she wore, and she gripped Kaiba's hand tightly. Kaiba had the blue and white robes of an Egyptian Priest, and his brown hair was covered by a large blue hat.

"When did you make these?" Atem looked between the paintings.

"When you were busy studying your artifacts," Mana answered. "I'm also thinking of using the Dark Magician one." She looked to the canvas of Dark Magician Girl pulling Dark Magician along to some unknown destination. "I could also do Red-Eyes and Blue-Eyes in the yin-yang."

"Put up whichever ones you want," Kisara said. "They're all fantastic."

"Thanks, K," Mana grinned. "If you don't mind, I'm definitely submitting this one. After the show, it's all yours. Kaiba could use more color at his mansion."

"My house is fine," Seto Kaiba stepped into the room. "I don't need decorating advice from a hyperactive pipsqueak."

"Hey!" Mana glared at him. "I'm taller than Yugi!"

"Don't pull me into this!" the shortest member of the group protested.

"Whatever," Kaiba brushed off their indignation. "You ready to go, Kisara?"

"Yes, Seto," Kisara took his hand. "We'll see you guys later." The couple left the gallery.

"Sometimes I wonder what she sees in him," Mana rolled her eyes at door.

* * *

 _Present Day_

"Do you think they're okay?" Mana asked.

"I'm sure they're fine," Atem said. "Kaiba may be a jerk at times, but there's no way he would let anything happen to Kisara or Mokuba. The three of them are probably holed up at Kaiba Mansion or KaibaCorp.

"To think they didn't get along before Duelist Kingdom," Mana smiled, ignoring the heartache she felt thinking of her friends. "I miss them. I miss Kisara joking with Joey and Tristan. I miss Mokuba going on about what was happening at the high school. I even miss Kaiba being a jerk when Kisara dragged him out with us. Never thought I'd say that."

"We'll see them again," Atem promised. "Someday, somehow, this will end."

"Hey, guys, we may be stuck here a while," Yugi stepped into the room and locked the door. "I saw more of them lurking around outside. There's too many for the three of us to fight off."

"Then we'll wait them out," Atem decided. "Mana, your pendant will warn us if they come closer, right?"

"Yeah," Mana placed a hand on her pendant. "I wish none of this happened."

* * *

"Don't forget to choose your other two paintings," Atem reminded Mana.

"Right!" Mana looked back to her paintings, the reason she asked her friends to come to the art studio. "I probably want to have a bit of variety. So one Egyptian, the one of Kisara and her stick-in-the-mud, and…" she looked over her other canvases. "This one!" She held up a canvas with colorful superheroes racing across the canvas. Leading the way was a green birdman with white wings. Talons covered his fists as he flew. A woman in a bright red bodysuit floated next him, her silver hair flaring out behind her and fire gathered in her open palms. Below them, a massive stone warrior with brown armor and a red helmet stood defensively, ready to protect his friends. Swinging down from the left was a blue-clad warrior with a white cape. A blue cowl obscured his face, but his expression was amused. The final hero was covered in blue and gold armor, lightning sparking from his outstretched hands.

"You made your own superheroes?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah," Mana grinned sheepishly as she ran a hand through her spikey brown hair. "I kind of watched every superhero movie I owned in one night, and it sparked this. Dr. Larson did not appreciate me having drawings of these guys all over my history notes."

"Just don't tell Mahad that," Atem rolled his eyes.

"Wasn't planning on it," Mana said. "He chastises me for not knowing enough history as it is."

"So which of the Egyptian paintings are you going to use?" Atem asked.

"Does it matter to you?" Joey snickered. "You're still in a dress."

"How many times do I have to say it? It's not a dress!"

Everyone laughed at his indignant expression. "I think I'll do Egyptian Cosplay," Mana said, picking up the one with their group. "Do you guys want to head over to where the gallery is being set up?"

"Of course!" Tea exclaimed. "I can't wait to see it!"

"Let me just pack up the canvases," Mana grabbed the bags she used to transport her paintings. With her friends' help, they were on their way in less than five minutes.

The gallery was bustling with activity when the group arrived. "There you are, Mana," the professor noticed the group. "Did you decide which paintings to use?"

"Yep," Mana grinned. "Where do you want me to set up?"

"Right over there," she pointed to an empty place in the display.

* * *

"Hey, Mana," Yugi called to her from around the corner. "I found your heroes and cosplay paintings."

Mana walked over to him and found the discarded paintings. Dust covered them, and the edges had been worn slightly, but they were completely intact. The same could be said for the other artwork that had been left behind. She knew the paintings as well as her own. Jordan had a corgi hidden somewhere in each of her paintings. Miho loved to draw sunsets. Becca's artwork was full of fairies. Claire sketched areas around campus, drawing people on their way to class. Everything they submitted to the gallery that day was still there. Her pendant suddenly felt heavy, and tears sprung to her eyes.

Atem was by her side in an instant. "It's all right," he pulled her close, letting her cry into his shirt.

"We left them behind, Atem," Mana whispered. "We didn't even try to help anyone else."

"Mana, we didn't even know what was happening then," Atem told her. "We still don't know what happened."

"We'll figure it out," Yugi walked over to the window, eyeing the horde creeping around outside. "Someone has to be working on a cure. We just have to survive until then."

* * *

"Joey Wheeler!" The group turned to see a tall woman with thick blonde hair marching towards them. "I've been looking all over for you! You were supposed to meet me outside your dorm half an hour ago!"

"Mai!" Joey backed away from the newcomer. "Is it that late already?"

"Yes, it is!" Mai shouted at him.

"Sorry, Mai," Mana decided to take pity on the blond idiot and help. "Joey was helping me choose what to submit. What do you think?" She gestured to the cosplay painting.

"Wow," Mai's violet eyes scanned the image. "You're really good, hon. Think you could make that outfit for real?"

"I'm an artist, not a seamstress," the painter protested.

Atem's cell phone rang, interrupting the conversation. "Mana, where's your phone?" he asked when he saw the caller I.D.

"I left it in my dorm because it was dead," she answered. "Why?"

"It's your brother," Atem handed her the still-ringing phone.

"Yes, brother dear," Mana pressed the answer button.

"Mana?" Mahad's voice was startled on the other. "Where have you been? I've tried calling you."

"I'm getting ready for the gallery, duh," Mana rolled her eyes. "What's so urgent?"

"Get out of there," Mahad commanded. "Take your friends and get somewhere isolated."

"Why?" Mana asked. "Mahad, what's going on?"

"Just do it." She could pick up the panic in her brother's voice. "Actually, head to Mr. Muto's game shop. I'll meet you there." He hung up.

"Mahad?" Mana stared at Atem's phone.

"What is it?" Atem noticed the panic in her eyes.

"I don't know," she handed him his phone. "He wants us to go to the shop. I haven't heard him so panicked since…"

"Then let's head there," Atem said. "Whatever it is, we'll sort it out when we get there. It could be nothing."

"Hey, Yugi," Mai turned to the shorter twin. "Does your grandpa still have that Harpies' Hunting Ground card on display?"

"Yeah, I think so," Yugi answered. "Are you interested in it?"

"Might as well if we're going to the shop," the blonde answered. "And Joey gets to pay for dinner since he made me traipse all over campus looking for him."

"Aw, come on!" Joey groaned.

Laughing, they exited the gallery and stepped outside the building. It wasn't too far to walk to the game shop, so Mai decided to leave her car where it was.

A scream interrupted their conversation. Someone ran from around a corner. "Monsters!" he yelled. A second later, a dark form stumbled after him. It was humanoid, but its flesh charred and rotted. It turned and noticed the group. It charged at them.

"Run!" Joey yelled. He grabbed Mai's hand, pulling her along. The rest of group was close behind them.

More monsters joined the chase as they raced to the shop. The distance between them and the students closed as they neared their destination. Just before the monsters caught them, the group burst through the door of the game shop, ringing the bell above. They locked the door, and the monsters slammed into it and the walls. "What is going on?" Tristan asked.

"Grandpa?" Yugi called to the back of the store. Atem ran to the back, passing the old man.

"Yugi?" Solomon Muto froze at the creatures outside the door. "What's happening?"

"They came out of nowhere," Tea answered.

"It's like something out of a horror movie," Tristan added.

"Back door's locked," Atem returned to the front of the shop. "We should probably barricade the doors and windows in case those things get bold."

"Right," Yugi agreed.

Atem's phone rang again. "Mahad?" he answered, hitting the speaker phone button.

"Did you guys make it to the shop?" Mahad asked.

"Yeah, we're here," Mana told him. "Where are you? There are monsters everywhere."

"It's some kind of outbreak," her brother said. "Ishizu and I are holed up at the museum right now. We probably won't make it there for a while. Stay put, and don't let anyone in until I get there. Love you, Mana." He hung up.

Atem tucked his phone back into his pocket. "You guys heard him. Let's get this place secure."

* * *

The sun dropped closer and closer to the horizon, turning the sky a deep crimson. "I think we're going to have to stay here tonight," Yugi said. He frowned as he looked out the window at the creatures surrounding the building. He probably missed Tea.

"The others are going to be worried," Atem said. "I hope Grandpa and Tea can keep Joey and Tristan in the shop. Those two will be chomping at the bit to come find us."

"Maybe I can send word to them," Mana scribbled something on a piece of scrap paper. She held her hands over her pendant and closed her eyes, focusing on Tea and the game shop. The slip of paper folded itself in a bird and flew out the window. "If it worked, Tea should get that soon."

"Then let's sleep in shifts," Yugi decided. "I'll take the first watch, then Atem, and Mana you get the last. Hopefully they'll be gone come morning."

Nodding, Mana and Atem made themselves comfortable in the corner. The exhaustion from the day soon caught up to her, and she was asleep next to her friend.

* * *

 _ **So, yeah, Mana was an art student. I think it fits. Also, yes, the last name I chose for Mana and Mahad is Tea's surname in the Japanese version. I'm not the best at coming up with last names, so I did that as a reference to my story Tales of Academia. Hope that doesn't cause too much confusion. There are also some Easter Eggs hidden in this chapter-some obvious and some probably not as much. Have fun finding them.**_

 _ **Anyway, thanks for reading!**_


	2. Tristan

_**So if you guys follow my update cycle, I wasn't going to do this chapter for a while. This is the story that I admit, while I have specific events planned for each chapter, writes when I get particularly inspired. And while I'd written about half of this before writer's block kicked in and I went back to my regular cycle of updates, the review I got last night somehow pushed me to go ahead and finish up this chapter. It's true what they say: reviews encourage writers to keep go going. I can't explain the inspiration much beyond that.**_

 _ **On another note, not all the flashbacks will be specifically about the apocalypse. Since this is an AU, I will also be showing how characters got to know each other, since there are obvious differences (namely Yugi has Atem as a twin in this universe, and there are Mahad, Mana, and Kisara as well).**_

 _ **So once again, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, I'd let Tristan do more.**_

* * *

Chapter Two: Tristan

Tristan rolled his eyes as Joey paced back and forth across the game shop. "Knock it off, Joey," he told his best friend.

"You're not the only one worried about them," Tea chastised the blond. Of course she was worried. Yugi was her world. Not to mention they had just started dating before the outbreak occurred.

Tristan felt a pang of jealousy as felt the odd man out. Yugi and Tea had each other. Joey was smitten with Mai. Atem and Mana were a matter of time. They weren't actually a couple, but Yugi and Joey had started a bet on when those two would get together. Even Kaiba and Kisara, wherever they were, were together.

And then there was Tristan. He had his special someone, but he didn't even know if she was alive, let alone where she was. His friends didn't even know about her; they agreed to keep their relationship secret until she was ready to tell her family. That was already a complicated situation before everything else that had happened.

A bird flew into the window. Tristan stood up to inspect it and saw it was made of paper—created from Mana's magic. He opened the pane just enough for it to fly inside before relocking it. The bird flew over to Tea and landed in her open hand. Arriving at its destination, it turned itself into a folded slip of paper.

Tea unfolded and red the note. "They're boxed in by a horde at the University and won't be able to make it back tonight," she told them. "They're fine; they're just going to wait them out."

"No way!" Joey grabbed his rifle and headed towards the door. Tristan moved to block him. "Outta my way, Tristan! We can't just leave them out there."

"Did you not hear her?" Tristan argued. "They said they're fine. They have their powers to help them, which is more than we have, and they're sheltered. What good is us going out there going to do?" Tristan laughed to himself. When did he become the one to argue _against_ picking a fight?

* * *

 _Domino City. Seven Years Ago._

Tristan scowled as he walked to Domino High School. When were Hirutani and his punks going to learn he and Joey were done with them? He'd already had to take out three thugs on his way; luckily for him they were amateurs who couldn't even get a good hit in. But as much was he was done with the gang, the fighting still gave him a thrill that was hard to top.

Smirking to himself, he spotted the mop of dirty-blond hair belonging to his best friend. "Yo, Joey!" he called out.

Joey turned to grin at him. "You get jumped on the way here?"

"Three times," Tristan answered. "You?"

"Five," Joey's grin widened. Now Tristan could see the signs of battle on his friend's uniform, but it could be worse. "Think they'll learn?"

"If they don't, it'll make things interesting here. Hey, check those guys out," Tristan pointed to a pair of students at the gate. He suspected they were brothers; aside from the height they looked exactly alike. What drew his attention was their hair: both had black hair tipped with magenta and blond bangs. "Think that hair is natural?"

"It's noticeable," Joey rolled his eyes. "The shorter one looks like he should still be in middle school. Think he's just tagging along with his brother?"

"If he's not, he'll be easy prey," Tristan smirked.

"Want to try to toughen him up?" Joey smirked back.

"Is that a bet?" Tristan asked. He watched as a pair of girls joined the brothers. One threw herself at the taller one, her long, spikey brown hair covering his face. The other girl—this one with shoulder-length brown hair—waved to the pair and chatted with the shorter one.

"Yeah," Joey watched the group. "First one to get him to tell you off wins. Doesn't count if the brother does it. Winner has buy lunch for ten days." He watched the taller one. "That one looks intimidating. With any luck, he's an upperclassman while the twerp is with us."

"You're on."

* * *

 _Present Day_

"Fine," Joey backed off. He set his rifle by the door.

"Good," Tristan relaxed. He turned to Tea and Grandpa Muto. "Can you two each take a shift watching out tonight?"

"Yeah," Tea turned her gaze out the window, gripping the note from the others. "But what should we do if they come here?"

"Wake us up, and we'll deal with it," Tristan told her. Tea and Gramps had little to no fighting ability. Gramps was too old; his eyesight wasn't what it used to be, and they couldn't afford to waste ammunition. Tristan and Joey had tried to teach the others to handle the rifles they managed to scavenge from abandoned stores, but Tea and Mana had no skill with them. They were lucky the girls didn't shoot themselves in the foot. Mana had her magic to fall back on; Tea didn't have anything, so she was forced to keep the game shop in order and keep everyone else sane. Tristan and Joey were usually the guilty party in driving her crazy.

"We can do that," Gramps said.

"Good," Tristan spotted a horde in the distance. "Let's hold the fort down until they get here."

* * *

Tristan leaned back in his chair as the teacher droned on. He was bored. He didn't care about Mesopotamia and Egypt—as far as he was concerned, the past was over and done with. It had nothing to do with him. He glanced around the classroom, his eyes settling on the targets of his bet with Joey.

The brothers had both ended up in the class along with the two girls from earlier. The teacher identified the shorter brother as Yugi Muto and the older one as Atem. Atem actively took notes on the lecture. _How can he find this so interesting?_ The girl behind Atem with the long hair—the teacher called her Mana Mazaki—tossed a ball of paper onto his desk, interrupting his frantic notetaking. She ducked her head before the teacher noticed. Atem scribbled something on the note and tossed it over his shoulder onto Mana's desk. Her shoulders shook as she read it, probably trying to suppress laughter. She wrote something on it and tossed it back.

Yugi seemed oblivious to his brother and friend's antics as he stared at the ceiling. He must have been as bored as Tristan was. Suddenly, as if struck with inspiration, he started scribbling in his own notebook. _He's an odd guy._ Tristan had a few ideas on how to win his bet with Joey, but having Atem around was going to make it difficult. How the heck was he supposed to know they'd all be in the same class? Tristan glanced to Atem and Mana again. They were still tossing the wad of paper back and forth. If those two were goofing off all the time, maybe they'd go off on their own and leave Yugi behind. Yugi alone gave Tristan the chance to win the bet.

A snore next to him interrupted his scheming. Joey slumped forward on his desk, sound asleep. Tristan rolled his eyes and paid no more attention to his best friend. He wasn't going to risk detention on the first day because Joey couldn't keep his eyes open.

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class. Mana jumped to her feet and dragged Atem out of the room. _Perfect._ Yugi was all his. Tristan elbowed Joey to wake him up and strolled over to the twerp.

A glance at the kid's notebook revealed sketches for some kind of game. Wow, this kid was a nerd. Smirking, Tristan swiped the notebook from the desk. "What's so interesting, Muto?" he asked.

"Give it back please," Yugi shrank under Tristan's gaze. "It's a design for a game I'm working on."

"Working on a game?" Tristan laughed. "Man, that has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Who plays dorky games anymore?"

A hand ripped the notebook out of his hand. "If you think it's dumb, then give it back to Yugi," the girl with the short brown hair snapped at him. What was her name? Something Gardner?

"Back off," Tristan glared at her. Seeing he wasn't going to get anywhere while she was around, Tristan headed for the bathroom.

"Thanks, Tea," Yugi said as Tristan rounded the corner. Tristan rolled his eyes as we headed to the bathroom. Not only was he hiding behind his brother, he had a girl fighting his battles for him? Man, that kid was lame.

"So much for that, eh, Tristan?" Joey came up behind him, laughing.

"Shut up, Joey," Tristan glared at him. "I didn't even see you try to rile him up. You'll have to do better than just laugh at me if you want to intimidate him."

"What's this about intimidating students?" Both boys whipped around to see another student with layered black hair and a good head and shoulders taller than them. Around his left arm was a hall monitor's band with the name Tetsu Trudge on it. In spite of himself, Tristan gulped. A fight with this guy would put them at a disadvantage.

"What's it to you?" Joey spat.

"I'm a hall monitor," Trudge answered. "If you two are bullying students, it's my job to put a stop to it." He smirked.

"We're not bullying anyone," Tristan rolled his eyes, refusing to let this hulk of a student scare him.

"You better not be," Trudge shoved past them and walked down the hallway. "If I find out you are, you're going to wish you hadn't."

* * *

"Tristan," Tea shook him awake. "Tristan, there's something outside."

"Where?" he looked out the window, squinting to see through the darkness.

She pointed, her hand trembling slightly. There, right by the tree, a lone figure stumbled in the darkness. Tristan circled the shop, checking the area for any other creatures. Luckily, it was only the one.

"I'll go take care of it," he told her. "Go get some sleep." Without waiting for a response, Tristan grabbed the crowbar by the door and slipped outside. The rifle would be too loud and draw the attention of more creatures. He scaled the barricade they'd built around the shop, pausing at the top to make sure the coast was clear. The lone creature still stumbled along across the street. A quick strike with the crowbar, and it would be down.

Tristan whacked the creature, sending it sprawling on the ground. He moved to hit it again and froze. He knew this person. Or at least the man the creature used to be. Mr. Karita, the gym teacher. He always kept order at Domino High. And he intervened when Tristan, Joey, and Yugi were in hot water.

* * *

Tristan groaned as he walked down the hallway, rubbing the bump on his head as Joey laughed behind him. Three weeks and they still hadn't been able to rile Yugi up. Every time they thought they were getting to him, either Atem or one of the girls intervened. Today, Mana had whacked him with a paintbrush until he backed off. Joey gave up on his own ploy to get the twerp and cracked up at Tristan getting beaten by girl shorter than them.

"Would you stop it?" Tristan finally snapped at his friend.

"Come on, T," Joey grinned. "That was funny. Who knew that girl could get so vicious?"

"At the rate we're going, neither of us is going to win the bet," Tristan grumbled. "Those other three are around way too much."

"But you can't deny it's fun messing with the little twerp," Joey continued laughing. "And I thought things would be boring here."

A fist slamming into Tristan's face kept him from answering. He cursed and pressed his sleeved into his nose, feeling the familiar trickle of blood coming out of it. His eyes watered, blurring the image of his attacker. Joey tossed his bag aside and charged at the culprit only to be slammed against the wall. Tristan glared at the guy, his vision clearing enough for him to see Trudge. "What the heck was that for?" He shifted his stance and dropped his bag, ready for the hall monitor to attack him again.

"I'm putting you two in your places," Trudge cracked his knuckles. "Yugi Muto told me all about you harassing him. He begged me to help."

 _The little twerp went to this punk?_ Tristan scowled and raised his fists. Joey got to his feet and stood next to him. If Trudge wanted to fight, they would teach him not to mess with them. He just made a big mistake.

Tristan thrust his hand forward, aiming for Trudge's massive torso. The hall monitor had the height and weight advantage, so targeting his face would leave Tristan's body exposed. Trudge caught his punch and shoved him to the side. Joey slammed his foot into Trudge's side. The bigger student let go of Tristan, giving him the opportunity to ram his elbow into his opponent. Enraged, Trudge grabbed the friends and slammed their heads together, dazing them. Tristan saw stars as he shoved them against the wall. They crumpled to the ground. Three Trudges stood over him, making it hard to focus.

"STOP!" a small figure in blue with tri-colored hair stood between them and the hall monitor.

"Heh," Trudge laughed. "You're defending these punks? After all the misery they put you through?"

"They weren't bullying me," the duo's savior insisted. "They were teaching me to stand up for myself."

 _The twerp?_ Tristan tried to focus on the short figure protecting them. He could barely make out Yugi's face before Trudge slammed his fist into the little guy's face. The kid went sprawling down the hallway. The hall monitor kicked him a few more times for good measure. _Why would he defend us? We've been tormenting him for weeks._

"What is going on here?" a teacher in a red sweat suit and a buzz cut stormed down the hallway.

"Mr. Karita," Trudge turned to the gym teacher. "These three jumped me. I was just defending myself."

"I'd believe that if it were just these two," Karita gestured to Joey and Tristan. "But you expect me to believe Yugi Muto picked a fight with you? He won't even throw a dodgeball at someone in class."

"It's the truth," Trudge shrugged. "He came charging at me."

"Do you take me for a fool?" Karita glared at the hall monitor. "All of you, to the principal's office."

"Yugi!" Tristan turned his head to see the twerp's three friends run down the hall. "What happened?"

"That's what we're going to sort out," Karita said. He looked to the downed students. "Can you three stand?"

"Yeah," Joey staggered to his feet. He stumbled, and Tea slung his arm over her shoulder.

Mana did the same for Tristan, careful of the blood still dripping from his nose. "I know I didn't hit you that hard with my brush," she laughed.

"Very funny," Tristan rolled his eyes. First he was getting beaten by this girl, now she was hauling his sorry butt to the principal's office. Pathetic.

Atem pulled his brother onto his back, the twerp too dazed to stand on his own. Trudge glowered as the gym teacher pulled him behind other students. He had minor injuries, and his uniform was messed up, but overall he was in significantly better shape than the other three involved in the fight.

Principal Schuyler eyed each of the students coming in. "What is this, Karita?" he asked.

"Caught a group of students fighting," Karita told him. "Muto, Wheeler, Taylor, and Trudge."

"What about the other three?" Schuyler ran a hand through his black hair as he looked to the other three.

"We came looking for my brother," Atem answered.

"I had to help," Yugi said. "He was beating my friends."

"Yugi," Tea and Mana said at the same time. It was obvious they believed him as much as Tristan did. Why would the kid call him and Joey friends?

"Is this true, Tetsu?" Schuyler raised an eyebrow at the hall monitor.

"They jumped me," Trudge stuck to his story. "I was defending myself."

"Yeah, right," Joey glared at him. "We were just walking down the hallway, and you punched T in the face! If anyone was defending themselves, it's us, you punk!"

"That's enough, Joey," Schuyler cut him off. He looked at each party involved and sighed. "Fighting is obviously against school rules. I have no choice but to suspend Yugi, Joey, and Tristan. Tetsu, this is not your first incident. You are expelled. And know I will be calling each of your parents. You three better head to the nurse's office Dismissed."

The students left the principal's office, the three injured still being supported by their helpers. "Man, this sucks," Joey muttered. Tea whacked him on the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For everything you two have been doing to Yugi these last few weeks," she said.

"It's okay, Tea," Yugi said from his brother's back. "I meant what I said. They're friends."

"What is wrong with you?" Tristan snapped. Mana smacked his head, but he ignored her. "We've tormented you for weeks. Why would you defend us?"

"Because I got what you were trying to do," Yugi said. "You never did anything really terrible, and I saw how disappointed you guys were when someone else came to help me."

"It wasn't for you," Tristan looked away from the kid. "It was a stupid bet between us."

"But you proved you were a true friend," Joey said. "You stood up for us like no one else has before."

"So does this mean Trudge won our bet?" Tristan asked.

"As far as I'm concerned, the bet's off," Joey answered. "No way am I buying that jerk ten days' worth of lunch."

"That was the prize of your stupid bet?" Mana smacked Tristan again.

"In our defense, we didn't think it would last this long," Joey shrugged. "But I'm kind of glad it did. We got to know some cool friends."

"Yeah, sure," Tristan rolled his eyes.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Tristan apologized before striking down the gym teacher. If Mr. Karita hadn't intervened that day, who knows what Trudge would have done to the three of them. His parents had been furious with him that day. Mr. Wheeler's reaction was worse; Joey had to hide out at the game store that entire week. Normally the blond would come to Tristan's, but his parents wanted nothing to do with Joey that entire time. Luckily, the Mutos were more forgiving with Yugi's declaration that the former gang members were his friends.

Karita went still, his rotted corpse leaving a pool of crimson underneath him. Tristan clenched his fist as he turned away. It was the first time he had killed a creature he knew. Karita had run them hard every day of gym class. When Mokuba had him five years later, the gym teacher was still as much of a drill sergeant as when Tristan was there. _Why did things have to turn out like this?_

Tristan crept back to the game store and swung over the wall. Tea stood at the door, her blue eyes wide as she waited for his return. "Is it gone?" she asked when she let him in.

"It's dead," he told her. "Don't worry about it."

"Part of me is relieved," she looked away. "But the other part can't forget that each creature out there used to be human, someone we might have known."

Without realizing it, she hit the nail on the head. "I know, Tea," he wrapped his arms around her to soothe her. She leaned into him, tears leaking onto his tan coat. "But there's nothing we can do. All we can do is ride this out and hope someone finds a way to fix this." She didn't need to know about Karita right now. He'd everyone at the same time, if he did at all. It would haunt him, but there was no need to add to the others' nightmares. There were plenty to go around as it was. "Go get some sleep. I'll finish out the watch."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he answered. "My adrenaline's still going, so it'll be a while before I can sleep anyway."

"Okay," she agreed. "Just don't push yourself too hard."

"I won't," Tristan promised. She went upstairs to the bedrooms, and Tristan made himself comfortable until dawn broke. He just hoped Yugi, Atem, and Mana would make it back in one piece.

* * *

 _ **So if you couldn't tell, these flashbacks were heavily drawn from the very first chapter of the manga. It is confirmed that Officer Trudge in 5D's is the same bully, which is why I call him Trudge instead of Ushio. I was also originally going to do this from Joey's POV, but we kind of already know that. Between other stories I've read, the dubbed anime (I haven't watched the sub) and the manga, we know what both Joey and Yugi were thinking during that time, but we don't really get what Tristan thought of the situation. I feel Tristan tends to be forgotten a times despite him doing some pretty dangerous stuff for the sake of his friends (actions during Death-T in the manga, searching the dungeons at Duelist Kingdom by himself for the Kaibas, fighting the Rare Hunters alone in Battle City). Tristan needs more love for doing all of that.**_

 _ **Anyhoo, enough rambling. If you follow my update cycle, note I'm going to put this story at the bottom so I don't let too much time pass for the other updates. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you later.**_


	3. Joey

_**Okay, guys, I know it's been a while. This chapter actually gave a lot of trouble. Partially because it does have more action in it than the others did. Hope you guys like it.**_

 _ **As per usual, I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, I would totally make Joey be my best friend and teach me all his fighting tricks.**_

* * *

Chapter Three: Joey

Joey strolled down the stairs of the game shop, feeling as well-rested as he could, given the circumstances. Nothing had happened during his or Gramps's shifts, which was a good sign. The longer the creatures ignored the shop, the better off its occupants were.

Joey paused in the living room. Tristan sprawled on the couch, sound asleep. A blood-covered crowbar rested on the floor next to him. _Something must have happened last night._ The blond rolled his eyes. Tristan must have taken care of whatever creature was out there, but he knew better than to leave the weapons unclean. Sighing to himself, he grabbed the weapon and took it out to their makeshift patio. He turned the hose on and let the water wash the blood off the crowbar.

Once it was clean, he turned the water off and froze, spotting a flash of auburn. _Serenity?_ It couldn't be her. His sister couldn't have become one of those things. The auburn took to the sky, showing it had been a bird. "Man, even when this is over, we're going to be all kinds of messed up," Joey sighed.

* * *

 _Muto Game Shop, Domino City. One Year Ago._

Joey grabbed an umbrella from the stand by the door and swung it, testing its weight. "What are you doing?" Tea asked.

"What's it look like?" he eyed the monsters outside. "I'm getting ready to bash me some zombies!"

"With an umbrella?" Mai raised an eyebrow at him. "Joey, this isn't a video game! This is dangerous!"

"You got a better idea?" Joey glared at them.

"Anything is a better idea," Mana said, running a hand through her brown hair. "Mahad said to stay put."

"They're right, Joey," Atem agreed. "We need to be cautious about this. Even if we break out of here, who knows how many of those things there are?"

"Either way, that glass isn't going to last forever," Tristan said. "We should try to build a stronger barrier around the shop."

"These might help," Gramps came out with rifles, handguns and holsters.

"Grandpa, where did you get these?" Yugi stepped back from the weapons.

"I've had them for years," the old man answered. "You never know what kind of trouble you'll find when searching for old tombs."

"Good to know," Atem grimaced, realizing how close his grandpa's comment was to his current archaeology career choice.

"All right!" Joey grinned and took a rifle. "Let's get them!"

Mai walloped the blond on the back of the head. "Idiot," she said. "We still don't know how many of those things are out there."

"I think I have an idea," Tristan kept an eye on the windows. "There's a lumber yard not too far from here. What if some of us sneak over there and grab some supplies? That way we can barricade the store against those things."

"Great idea, but how are we going to carry it all?" Tea asked. "We won't exactly be able to run if we're carrying big things of wood."

"There's a flatbed in the back," Yugi said. "We can stack all the wood on there and push. It'll be faster for when we have to make a break for it."

Music filled the room. "Hello?" Joey answered his phone.

"Joey! Are you okay?" Serenity's panicked voice sent a line of fear through him. "Where are you?"

"Serenity, I'm okay," he fought to keep his voice calm. "I'm at the game shop with Yuge and the others. Where are you?"

"I'm locked in my dorm room," she said. "These things just came out of nowhere. Joey, I'm scared."

"Hang tight, sis," Joey told here. "We'll come get you."

"Be careful, Joey," Serenity hung up the phone.

* * *

 _Present Day_

Joey circled the barricade, keeping a close eye out for any creatures. _Whatever happened last night, it sure looks like they're gone now._ Some days, it was better than others. They were lucky when the hordes left them alone. On unlucky days, they had to burn through precious ammo or risk Mana and the twins as they used their powers.

He hated not having power like them. If only he could call on Red-Eyes like they could use their spirits.

Joey headed back inside and hung the crowbar back on its hook. "Any word from Yuge and the others?" he asked.

"Nothing yet," Tea frowned as she turned on the stove. "I really hope they get back soon."

"They'll be fine," Gramps said from his chair. "I know my grandsons. They're strong."

"We just gotta have faith in them," Tristan added. "How are our supplies running, Tea?"

"We're not desperate, if that's what you mean," the brunette answered as she opened cans of meat, beans, and tomatoes. "Chili will be ready in a couple of hours. It won't be like Mom's, but it works for what we got."

"As long as we get to eat," Joey gave a half smile. "I'm starving."

* * *

"So we'll go in two groups," Atem spread out a map of Domino they kept for tourists. "Tristan, Yugi, and Tea will head to the lumber yard and get whatever might be useful." He moved his finger over the map, showing the route between the game shop and their destination.

"I've got a few ideas of how to barricade the store," Tristan held up the rough sketches he'd been working on. "We can work with whatever we find.

Atem nodded. "Meanwhile, Joey, Mana, and I will head back to campus to find Serenity." He marked the route in the opposite direction, towards the University. "Grandpa, Mai, you two will hold down the fort here."

"You better find her, Joey," Mai looked him in the eye before throwing her arms around him.

"I will, Mai," he promised. He held her tight, breathing in the scent of her perfume. It smelled way better on her than on her cards. Seeing Tristan and the others out of the corner of his eye, he pulled back. "We'll back in no time."

"Be safe," Gramps hugged his grandsons.

"Let's go," Tristan hooked a holster to his belt and slipped a handgun into it. He grabbed a rifle and stood ready at the door. Joey followed suit, holding his rifle ready.

"I hope you guys know how to use those," Mana grabbed a baseball bat from the closet. Atem grabbed a duffel bag and emptied its contents into the closet. Yugi stood behind a flatbed, ready to push.

"We got this," Joey said and kicked the door open. Creatures came forward only to be hit with a round of bullets.

"Go, go, go!" Tristan yelled, leading Yugi and Tea down one road.

"Eat this, you freaks!" Joey fired shot after shot at the horde. When they got too close, Mana beat them with her bat.

"Let me," Atem borrowed the bat and knocked down two of the creatures. He handed it back to her so she could smack another on her side.

Eventually, the horde dropped, all the creatures dead around them. "I think I'm going to be sick," Mana dropped her bat and ran to the nearest trash can, jumping over the pools of blood surrounding them.

"I almost feel like doing the same," Joey admitted.

"Me too," Atem looked away from the corpses surrounding them. "Let's try a more subtle approach from now on.

"AAHHH!" Mana's scream drew their attention to where she ran, surrounded by more monsters.

"Mana!" Atem shot forward. Joey aimed his rifle, but he couldn't get a clear shot. He couldn't risk hitting his friends.

A flash of light surrounded Mana, and a blonde figure dressed in pink and blue appeared over her. "Dark Magician Girl?" Joey blinked at the sight of Mana's signature monster. No way a hologram could be here. There weren't any duel disks around!

The Dark Magician Girl pointed her staff at the monsters surrounding Mana and blasted away at them, leaving nothing but ash piles of ash.

"What's going on?" Atem asked

"I don't know," Mana breathed. Dark Magician Girl smiled at them and did her signature finger-wink. Then she faded, as if she were never there. Mana fell forward.

"Hey," Joey and Atem steadied her supporting her weight.

"Sorry," she leaned against them. "I feel like I stayed up all night studying and then ran a marathon."

Joey set down his rifle and knelt in front of her. "Climb on," he offered.

"No, let me," Atem gestured for him to get up. "We're better off having you operate _that_." He grimaced at the rifle on the ground. Joey nodded, and Mana climbed onto Atem, wrapping her arms around his neck. Joey held the rifle ready and gestured for them to keep moving.

The creatures were thick around the University. "Serenity's room's on the third floor of Walden," Joey whispered. He could see the building in the distance. "I don't think I got enough ammo to shoot our way through."

"Then we'll just keep moving," Atem eyed their destination. "Let's circle around and try to find an opening."

 _It'd be nice if Dark Magician Girl could appear again._ Part of Joey hoped whatever made the blonde spellcaster appear and roast those creatures would happen again. It would make it easier to get to Serenity. She had to be okay.

* * *

"I think I see them!"

Joey jumped at Tea's exclamation. He peered out the window on the second floor, searching for what the brunette had spotted. _There!_ Joey could just make out the purple shape of the Dark Magician. Atem's card. "Tristan, get ready!" he yelled to his friend downstairs. "We gotta give them some cover!"

"On it!" Joey could hear Tristan scrambling to the door. Joey pulled open the window and stuck the barrel of his rifle out it. Taking aim, he fired into the horde surrounding his friends.

Dark Magician blasted creatures surrounding the scouting trio. Silent Swordsman appeared next to him, slashing through the ones that managed to evade Dark Magician's attacks. Dark Magician Girl appeared in a swarm of bubbles and floated back-to-back with her master. Together they spun, hurtling magic around them until the horde was nothing but ash.

Their work done, the Duel Spirits vanished, and their masters slowed their pace. When they got closer to the game shop, they hastened, sprinting to the barrier and scaling it to join Tristan at the door.

Joey raced downstairs to see his exhausted but otherwise okay. "We're back!" Mana grinned, leaning against Atem.

"We're so glad you're okay," Tea pulled Yugi into a hug.

"You gave us a real scare," Joey grabbed the shorter twin when Tea was done, giving Yugi a noogie.

"Sorry, guys," Yugi apologized.

"There are still a lot around the University," Atem explained.

"We also found these," Mana set down the large bag she'd been carrying over her shoulder.

Joey froze as he caught sight of the canvases Mana unloaded. Images of everyone they were close to. Mai, Serenity, Kisara, Mokuba, and even Rich Boy. Paintings of them when things were better, when they weren't just living day to day, hoping survive until the crisis was solved.

From the time they were just normal kids.

* * *

"So what now?" Mana asked.

Joey eyed the monsters surrounding Serenity's dorm. How had this many come so quickly? Maybe they should have waited for Mahad. He seemed to be the only one who had any kind of clue what was happening.

"We can't stay here," Atem said. "How much ammo do you have, Joey?"

"Not as much as I'd like," the blond answered. "We should hit up where the hunting club met and see what we can get from there after we find Serenity."

"Good idea, for once," Mana winked at him.

"You really want to make fun of me now?" Joey glared at her.

"Guys," Atem hissed, keeping his eye on the creatures. They noticed the trio's presence. "Talk later. Run now."

"Right," Joey led the way, using the handgun to take out any creatures that came too close. They got halfway to the dorm when they were surrounded. "Ah crud," Joey muttered as the handgun jammed. One of the creatures grabbed for him.

"Joey!" Atem yelled. The area around them flashed with light, blinding everyone. When the light faded, a warrior clad in black and gold armor brandished his sword at the monsters. With a nod, he charged forward, slicing through all the monsters around him. Once they were defeated, the Black Luster Soldier knelt before Atem and vanished.

Atem staggered, nearly dropping Mana. "Hey," she jumped off and pulled his arm over her shoulder. "You okay?"

"You nailed the description earlier," he answered. "Though we might as well have run a marathon with how today's going."

"Let's get inside," Joey shoved open the door to the dorm. Seeing nothing to bar the entrance, he hurried his exhausted friends into a nearby dorm room. Luckily it was empty.

Atem and Mana sank into the nearest bed. "I don't want to think about how we're going to get back," Mana said. "I don't think I can run to the next building, let alone all the way back to the game store."

"You guys just rest for now," Joey instructed. He peeked out the door. The coast was clear—for now. "I'm going to head up to Serenity's room. Lock the door and don't open it until I get back. I'll knock—three fast, three slow, and three fast." Tristan tried learning Morse code at one point, but SOS was the only thing that stuck for either of them. "We'll figure out the rest once Serenity's safe." He grabbed the bat and swung it, testing its weight before heading to the door.

"Sure thing," Mana pulled herself to her feet and followed him to the door. Joey stepped out and waited for the click of the lock before creeping his way to the staircase.

Creatures stumbled through the hallways. Joey held the bat ready, watching their paths. He was outnumbered, and a head-on fight would put him at a disadvantage. Luckily, they seemed to have trouble with stairs. Joey was able to make it up to the third floor without being followed.

A monster spotted him just as he hit the landing. Joey swung the bat, knocking the creature to the ground. Blood pooled underneath it as he struck it again, ensuring it was dead. He did the same to two other creatures as he rounded the corner to Serenity's room.

Fear ran through as he saw the door was ajar. Joey sprinted to it and flung it all the way open. His breath caught in his throat. Papers were torn and tossed everywhere. Posters were ripped and barely hanging on the wall. Joey just stopped himself from stepping in blood splatters.

"No…" the word barely escaped his mouth. His vision blurred, tears escaped his eyes only to be dried by the breeze. _What?_ Joey looked up to see Serenity's curtains fluttering in front of the window. Lunging forward, he opened them as far as he could and stuck his head out. The screen had fallen to the ground below. The creatures still surrounded the dorm. But no sign of Serenity.

 _Maybe she made it out. She had to have made it out._ Joey could only hope as he dialed his sister's number. It had only taken them a little more than an hour and a half to get there. Music came from outside. He craned his head to see Serenity's phone on the ledge of the window below him. The vibrations from the call knocked it off, sending it crashing to the ground. "No!" Joey reached for it, knowing it was futile.

 _Please, let her be okay._ Joey had never considered himself religious, but he prayed to whatever deities might be out there that his sister was alive and safe.

* * *

"So what did you guys find?" Joey asked as the three scouters settled into the living room.

"Aside from the canvases, not a whole lot other than the hordes," Yugi answered.

"We've picked most of campus dry," Atem said. "There's almost nothing left in the vending machines, and the student pantry's starting to run out too."

"We couldn't find any more ammunition in either campus security or the hunting club's places," Mana added. "Also, it feels like the hordes are getting stronger."

"What do you mean?" Tea gripped Yugi's hand tightly.

"I don't know," Mana gripped her pendant, her eyes cast downward. "I wish Mahad were here to explain it better. But my pendant reacts to them, and it almost feels like pure evil radiates from them. That evil feels stronger than it did before. I don't know how else to explain it." She leaned into Atem and brushed at her eyes, wiping away the tears that escaped. "I wish I knew how to end this."

"We'll get through this," Joey insisted. "We have to. For Serenity and the others."

* * *

 _ **So where do you guys think Serenity is? Well that's for me to know, and you guys to find out (along with Joey and the others). Anyway, see you next time.**_


	4. Tea

_**Once again, I'm really sorry this took so long to update. Writer's block hit me really hard multiple times with this chapter, and it pushed itself outside my usual comfort zone. If I were to rank my writing skills, I'd say it goes dialogue, narration, action, setting, and romance all the way at the bottom. So I will really appreciate the feedback on this chapter.**_

 _ **And despite all the struggles I had with this, I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, certain characters would have gotten together at the end of the series.**_

* * *

Chapter Four: Tea

Tea blinked against the sun streaming into the window. Yugi was still sound asleep next to her. Careful not to wake him up, she slid out of bed and walked over to the window. Because there were so many nightmares to go around, they had established a rule that any restful sleep shouldn't be disturbed unless absolutely necessary.

 _The sky is so clear today._ Tea kept her eyes on the blue of the sky, avoiding the rundown buildings around the game shop. When was the last time she even ventured outside? When they got the materials right after it started?

She sighed and headed downstairs. Everyone would be up soon, and then Tea would have to start breakfast. She gave a silent wave to Joey watching the perimeter, the only other awake soul in the house. He didn't notice her as she passed through the living room to the main store.

Tea glanced around the area and listened for any of her housemates. Confident they weren't coming any time soon, she stretched herself out on the floor and went through a few ballet moves. There wasn't enough space for her to do a full routine, but Tea wanted to keep in shape as much as she could so it would be easier for her to catch up when she returned to New York. She had to believe this would end and she could continue pursuing her dream.

"You always look beautiful when you dance."

Tea jumped, barely keeping herself upright. "Yugi!" she glared at her boyfriend. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," he rubbed the back of his head. "When I saw you were gone, I figured you were here."

"It's about all I can do," Tea sighed and wrapped her arms around him. He held her close, and his warmth renewed her hope that everything was going to be okay. She never wanted to take him for granted.

* * *

 _Domino Elementary School. Fifteen Years Ago._

Six-year-old Tea gripped the straps of her backpack as she walked toward the school. It was scary being the new girl. Everyone else already seemed to be friends. Would anyone want to talk to her?

"Look out!"

Tea squealed and jumped to the side. A second later, a pile of kids landed right where she'd been standing. "Sorry about that!" a girl with brown hair jutting passed her shoulders grinned and sat at the top of the pile. "We were playing tag."

"Mana, can you get off us?" a voice sounded from under the girl.

"Right, sorry," the brunette scrambled to get off the pile.

Tea stared in awe at the two boys that stood up. They were her height, but their hair made them slightly taller. And it was pretty—black hair streaked with magenta and blond bangs. Tea had never seen hair like that before. She looked between the identical boys."Hi," she finally squeaked. "I'm Tea."

"Hi, Tea! I'm Mana!" the girl grinned. "And these two are Atem and Yugi. Don't feel bad if you can't tell them apart right away—it's 'cause they're twins. I know the difference 'cause they squeak differently when I jump on them."

"Mana!" the twins turned red and lowered their heads. Now Tea could see a tuft of blond sticking up on the left twin that the right twin didn't have.

"Ooh, I know!" Mana suddenly exclaimed. "Now we have four people, we should play Capture the Flag!" She pulled two bandannas from her backpack—one red and one purple.

"Boys vs girls?" one of the twins suggested.

"No way!" Mana scowled. "You two always win! I get Atem!" She pulled the twin on the left to her side and grabbed the purple bandanna. "Tea, you get Yugi."

"Okay," Tea put down her backpack and looked to the twin standing next to her.

"Don't worry," the twin, Yugi, smiled "It'll be fun."

The game started, and their opponents charged forward to claim the red bandana. "No way, Atem!" Yugi cut off his brother. Atem narrowly avoided being tagged and kept running.

"Got you!" Tea managed to catch the opposing twin's shoulder just before he caught the flag.

"But you forgot me!" Mana giggled and ran off with the red bandana. Tea and Yugi chased after her but were unable to tag her before she made it to the purple bandana.

"Aw, you're fast," Tea pouted at their loss.

"That's 'cause she always runs away from her brother," Yugi said. "Mahad runs pretty fast when he's mad."

"And scary," Atem added.

Mana stuck her tongue out at the twins. "I can't help Mahad's a stinker who won't play when I ask him. Taking his books is the only way I can get him to join us."

Tea laughed at the interactions between the three. They definitely seemed fun.

* * *

 _Present Day_

Tea stuck her head into Atem's room. The elder Muto sat on his bed, flipping through a book. Mana sketched next to him, leaning against her friend. "What's up, Tea?" she asked.

"I need a book to read," Tea answered. "I was hoping to borrow one of Atem's."

Atem raised an eyebrow at her. "Really? All mine are archaeology books. You always said they were dull."

"Yeah…" Tea ran a hand through her shoulder length hair as she remember all the times she had to get Atem and Mahad to help her with her history homework. Reading through sources was always the worst when it came to her term papers. "But I've read every other book here at least ten times each. I've hit the point I can list off all the deities and creatures in Monster World. Please let me fill my head with something other than RPG stats."

"Sure," Atem chuckled. "Pick any you'd like."

"Thanks," Tea grabbed one titled _Blessings and Battles of Ancient Egypt_. "I'll bring it back when I'm finished."

"No hurry," Atem looked back down at his book.

"Let us know how you like it," Mana gave her a mischievous grin before returning to her sketch.

Tea rolled her eyes at the two as she left the room. _Those two deserve each other._

* * *

 _Domino High School. Seven Years Ago_

Tea rounded the corner to find Mana, Yugi, Joey, and Tristan hunched over sheets of paper. The four of them so excited for their test results could only mean one thing. "Are you guys playing Achievement Score Bingo again?" she asked.

"Yep," Atem waved to her from the wall. "The one who gets the least has to buy the winner lunch at Burger World."

"Figures," Tea sighed and took a spot on the wall next to him. "I'm surprised you're not playing."

Atem laughed, and Tea felt her heart flutter at the sound. "Mana banned me this time," he said. "Apparently, I always win, and it's not fair for Joey and Tristan's first time."

"That sounds like Mana," Tea laughed. The girl could be too bossy for her own good at times.

"So what exactly are they doing?" a new voice joined them. The two friends turned to see a girl with long, white hair and sapphire blue eyes. She gripped her shoulder bag tightly as she observed the four. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"No, it's fine," Atem said. "Basically, before today, they each filled out a bingo card. Now they compare those cards to the rankings from test day. If the number is a girl, they color it red. If it's a boy, black. Whoever gets the most lines wins.

"Wow," the girl's eyes widened. "And whose idea was it?"

"It was actually mine," Atem admitted. "We started doing it… was it fourth grade?"

"Something like that," Tea answered.

"Hey, I got three," Tristan smirked.

"Beat you," Mana pumped her fists in the air. "I got four!"

"Aw man," Joey dropped his head in defeat. "I didn't get any."

"Well I got five," Yugi grinned, his entire face lighting up. Tea smiled at his cheer. The other three participants groaned in defeat.

"Well looks like Joey is buying Yugi lunch," Atem smirked.

"And Tristan's going to give him a hard time about it," Tea laughed.

"You guys seem like you have a lot of fun," the white-haired girl chuckled. "By the way, can you help me find my homeroom? It's my first day, and I don't know where anything is."

"Yeah, sure," Tea answered. "I can show—"

"What is going on here?" the guidance counselor came storming down the hallway, his furious gaze locked on the bingo players. "Are the four of you making a _game_ out of the rankings?

"Uh-oh," Tea and Atem said at the same time.

"I got this," the girl said and hurried over to the counselor. "Excuse me, sir," she bowed her head. "I need help finding my homeroom." She pulled a slip of paper from her bag. "I'm supposed to go here, but I'm afraid I got all turned around."

"Come with me," the counselor sighed giving one last look to the foursome who tried to look innocent. "Make sure you remember so you don't get lost again."

"Thank you, sir," she bowed again and followed him around the corner.

"Man, that was close," Joey slumped against the wall. "I thought we were busted for sure."

"Well make sure you thank the new girl," Tea smacked the blond on the back of the head. "I honestly don't know why you guys still play this. It's asking for trouble."

"Relax, Tea," Yugi gave her a smile, the one that always seem to convince her things would be okay. Yugi was so good at looking out for everyone. "We'll be more careful in the future."

"So who is the new girl?" Mana asked.

"Don't know," Tea and Atem said at the same time. Tea felt her face warm. It made her strangely giddy to be so in-sync with Atem. When was the last time they did that?

"Let's get to class," Atem led the way down the hall.

The rest of the group followed, and they sat in their usual cluster by the window. They'd started congregating there after Joey and Tristan joined the group.

"Class, there's a new student joining us today," Ms. Chono tossed a lock of red hair over her shoulder as she made the announcement. "Come in, Miss White."

The white-haired girl stepped into the classroom and gave a polite bow. "Good morning," she said. "I'm Kisara White. I'm pleased to meet you."

"There's an empty seat at the back by Mr. Kaiba," Ms. Chono pointed it out. "You may sit there."

"Yes, ma'am," Kisara nodded and took the designated seat. Tea saw Kisara glance at the brunet CEO before abruptly turning away. _Do they know each other? She doesn't seem to like him._ Then again, nobody got along with Kaiba.

When class ended, Mana bounded over to the new girl. "Thanks for the save earlier," she said. "My parents would have killed me if I'd gotten detention again."

"It's no problem," Kisara smiled. "I kind of have experience avoiding getting caught."

"Then you'll fit right in," Joey grinned and flicked his nose with his thumb. "I'm Joey by the way. And this is Yugi, Tristan, Mana, Tea, and Atem."

"I think I got it," Kisara glanced over each person Joey introduced. "But I might mix up Yugi and Atem later."

"Wouldn't be the first," the twins said at the same time.

"It happened all the time when we were younger," Atem chuckled.

"But not so much anymore," Yugi rolled his eyes. "Especially since Atem and everyone else is taller than me."

"Not by that much," Mana pointed out. "And I'm stuck in the middle of you two. And somehow Tea got taller than all four of us."

"Not really," Tea glanced to Atem on her left, taking in his sharp gaze and confident stance. At first glance, they were almost the same height, but that was also because of the spikes in his hair. _I didn't notice it before, but he's gotten really handsome._

"Anyway, enough height comparisons," Joey interrupted. "Me and Tristan are the tallest, and it's lunch time so I want to get some grub. Let's continue this on the roof."

* * *

"So how are you liking ancient Egypt?" Yugi sat next to her on the couch.

"Well I don't feel the need to roll for bluff," Tea laughed. "I'm liking this one more than what we were required to read in school. And it's helping take my mind off everything else."

"May I see it?" he tried to get a look at the cover.

"Sure," Tea put a bookmark in and handed the book to him.

"Hey, it's by Professor Hawkins," Yugi smiled at the cover.

"Rebecca's grandfather, Professor Hawkins?"

"That's the one."

"Small world," Tea said as she thought of the older gentleman and his opinionated granddaughter. She like the professor well enough from the few times she'd met him, but Rebecca had a tendency to rub her the wrong way. But that was probably because Rebecca threw herself at Yugi every chance she got. And after Tea and Yugi's awkward transition from childhood friends to couplehood, Tea did not need a green-eyed blonde trying to take her amazing boyfriend from her.

But given the circumstances, Tea wouldn't mind seeing them, if only to know they were okay. There were a lot of people she would be ecstatic to see. Heck, she'd even be happy to see Vivian.

Yugi handed her book back and kissed her cheek. "I'm going to go grab a Monster Manual and join you."

"I'd love that," Tea winked at him and returned to her book.

* * *

Tea slid into the booth between the Muto twins. "By the way, it's about time, Mahad," Atem looked the museum assistant sitting at the end of the table.

"All of you have already said that," Mahad sighed and rubbed his forehead. "And I'm sure if Mana were here, she be saying 'I told you so' over and over."

"Too bad she and Kisara had to work tonight," Tea said. The other girls in the group had gotten after-school jobs at the local craft store—Mana so she could buy more art supplies and Kisara so she had spending money.

"Kisara's the only one not making a big deal of this," Mahad pinched the bridge of his nose.

"That's 'cause she doesn't realize how big a deal it is," Joey grinned. "Dude, you finally asked Ishizu out!We've been telling you do to that forever!"

"We've been going out for a few months now," Mahad sighed. "And last I checked, I'm not the only one who hasn't asked out the person they like." His dark blue eyes darted around the table. "And I've known Ishizu for less time than they've known their interest."

"Mahad," Atem narrowed his eyes at the museum assistant.

"Turnabout is fair play," Mahad shrugged.

 _Atem likes someone?_ Tea dared to hope. She really liked Atem. Differently from how she did growing up. He was confident, a presence that made everyone follow his lead. And handsome. Focused amethyst gaze, spikey blond bangs framing his face with magenta tips in his black hair. Tea wanted him to see her as more than a childhood friend. And if he was interested in someone… could it possibly be her?

* * *

"That's weird," Tea looked closer at the photo in the book.

"What is it?" Yugi leaned against her shoulder to see what she noticed.

"This picture," she pointed to the image of seven humans underneath a woman radiating light. She wore a golden headdress, and large, golden wings trailed behind her. Each human wielded a golden item. The caption read _The goddess Horakhty blesses the pharaoh and his priests as they battle the Lord of Darkness._ "Doesn't that look like Mana's pendant?" She held her finger over the human with bangles on his circular pendant.

"Maybe…" Yugi bit his lip. "Actually, this kind of reminds of one of her Egyptian paintings. Not the one with all of us. The one with the different items."

"You guys didn't find that one at the university, did you?"

"No," he shook his head. "But maybe…" Yugi went to the canvas bag in the corner and pulled out one of the canvases. "I can't really tell from the cosplay painting. We might just have to ask her. Does the book say anything them?" He put the canvas back in the bag.

"Umm…" Tea skimmed through the passage next to the picture. " _Some hieroglyphs describe a war with shadows. The pharaoh appealed to the gods to save Kemet from an evil entity. Translations have called this entity the Lord of the Dead, Lord of Darkness, and other similar phrases. The records referring to this entity are vague, as if they were afraid the entity would return. The only consistent thread is that Horakhty, the Creator of Light, answered the pharaoh's prayers and blessed him and six of his followers with the power to combat the shadows. Horakhty's power granted the seven the power to call on the creatures connected to their souls…_ Isn't that what you can do?"

"Pretty much," Yugi rubbed the back of his head and sat next to her again. "Maybe I should ask Grandpa if he remembers this. Professor Hawkins may have shared something with him."

"I think I'd rather ask Professor Hawkins himself," Tea sighed and leaned back against the couch. "Then again, I don't see how this is going to help our current situation."

"True," Yugi grinned and leaned in close to her ear. "But I don't mind being cooped up in here with you."

"Yugi!" she elbowed him. "Then again, I'd like it too if we could have a place to ourselves someday."

"We'll make it happen," he promised.

* * *

Tea hurried through the halls to meet up with Atem. Mana and Kisara had to head straight to work, Joey and Tristan had to stay behind to clean the classroom, and she hoped Yugi would help them so she could tell Atem how she felt. Part of her felt guilty. Yugi was her best friend; there had been no secrets between them since they met. Good or bad, he was always the first person she shared anything with. But Tea couldn't bring herself to tell him her crush on his brother. _I'll deal with one Muto at a time. It'll be easier once I tell Atem._

She froze when she spotted the twins at their lockers. Without thinking, Tea darted behind the corner at the edge of the lockers. Yugi being there would make confessing her feelings so much harder. Tea tried to think of a new plan when she heard the twins' voices.

"When are you going to ask Tea out?" Yugi asked.

"Why do you ask that?" Atem sighed.

"Because I've seen how she looks at you," Yugi answered. "It's plain as day she wants to be with you. And I know you've noticed it too. So go for it, Atem."

Tea felt her face heat up as she continued to eavesdrop. They knew. Both twins knew she liked him, and she thought she'd hidden it from them. Was she really that easy to read?

"I can't do that, Yugi," Atem closed his locker. The sound echoed through the hallway.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't feel the same way."

Tea's heart shattered. _Why? Why doesn't he like me?_ She stayed glued to her spot, unable to leave the conversation she wasn't meant to hear. Tea blinked away tears.

"You could give her a chance," Yugi suggested. "She really likes you. Who's to say you wouldn't fall for her too?"

"No," Atem sighed. "Tea's been our friend since we were six. And that friendship is too important to throw away on a relationship that will just make us miserable. It will hurt her more if I go out with her when I'm not interested. That's not fair to her or you."

"Me?" There was a bang against a locker. "Oww…" Yugi moaned.

"I keep telling you to be more careful," Atem said. "And I've seen how you look at her. I think everyone but Tea has noticed."

 _Yugi likes me?_ Tea bit her lip as she tried to process what she was hearing. He acted a little odd at times, but she always attributed that as part of his natural quirks. _Was I…?_ She should just leave, but at this point, the twins would likely notice her. It was too much to deal with at once.

"Hey, Tea!"

Joey and Tristan waved at her, their cleaning supplies propped on their shoulders as they came down the hallway. Tea heard Yugi's locker close, and footsteps came closer. _No!_ Now the twins knew she was listening. How could she face them?

She couldn't.

Tea turned and ran the opposite way of her friends, out the first door she came across, and kept going. She didn't stop until she reached the park and crumbled against the base of a tree.

Tears burst forth, and she pulled her knees to her chest as she cried. Cried as it sank in her crush didn't like her in that way. Cried as she realized she'd been ignoring her best friend's feelings right in front of her. How terrible of a friend was she?

"There you are."

Tea looked up to the straight brown hair and dark blue eyes of Mahad. He must have just finished work since he was wearing the khakis and nice shirt he normally wore to the museum. His jacket was draped over his arm as if he hadn't taken the time to put it on."What do you want, Mahad?" Tea buried her face back into her knees.

"The twins called me," he answered. "They were worried about you, but they didn't think you wanted to talk to them. And despite all the flak they give me about a social life, I do understand what you're feeling."

"Yeah, right," Tea scowled, not meeting his eyes.

"You're heartbroken because your first crush didn't work out, and it feels like the world's going to end," Mahad stated. "I know this because I've been there. Believe it or not, Ishizu is not the first girl I've liked."

"Really?" Tea finally looked up at the friend who was practically everyone's older brother.

"Really," Mahad sat down next to her. "The first was a girl who transferred to our class second semester of eleventh grade. Blonde hair, green eyes, _Hello Kitty_ backpack. Her name was Rachel. I usually ended up helping her with her history homework. And it was two weeks before I was head over heels for her. I decided to ask her to prom, and to my delight, she said yes."

"How is this the first I'm hearing of this?" Tea raised an eyebrow at him.

"Because you guys were fifth graders at the time and were more interested in Duel Monster cards," he answered. "And that was as far as it went. Turned out, she was keeping in touch with one of her old classmates, and the only thing keeping them from getting together was the distance between schools. Rachel told me when I asked her to prom exactly that. She saw me as a great friend, and neither one of us wanted to go alone. So we went as friends, and did the same thing the next year. I still somewhat keep in touch with her. Last I heard, she and her boyfriend were going to college in Denver."

"And you were just okay with it?" she turned her gaze back to her knees.

"Not at first," Mahad admitted. "I was crushed. I honestly don't remember how I kept my cool when she said she wasn't interested in me."

"At least you did," Tea spat. She could only imagine the looks on Atem's and Yugi's faces when they realized she was there. And she just bolted. How could she face them? She buried her face into her knees again."And you have Ishizu now. So second time worked out."

"Third," Mahad corrected her. "Second official girlfriend."

Tea looked up at the museum assistant again. How did Mana's socially awkward older brother, who they almost never saw with anyone outside of work—and even then it was rare—have a girlfriend without any of them knowing? "Why didn't we ever meet her?"

"Because it only lasted a couple of months," Mahad answered. "I met Lily in my biology gen ed class freshman year. Neither of us were particularly interested in it, and we were paired up for lab experiments. She made fun of those who were grossed out by the insects, and class was actually fun. We clicked enough, and we started going out.

"So why'd you break up?" Tea asked.

"Lily came out," he said and leaned against the tree. "I was the first person she told. I think I was someone that she was comfortable with to open up about herself, and I suspect she asked me out because of that. But it still hurt when we broke up. I really liked her, but she said denying that part of her wasn't something she should do and that the longer we stayed together, the more it would hurt us in the end. And she was right. As much as I wanted us to work out, it wasn't going to happen. We'd just have started hating each other."

"So she ended it to preserve your friendship?"

"That, and Lily wanted to ask out this really pretty redhead in her programming class," Mahad smiled. He put his arm around her shoulder, letting her lean against him.

"I guess that would do it," Tea laughed and wiped her eyes. "So with Ishizu…?"

"I love her," he said without a moment of hesitation.

"What makes you so sure?" Tea looked up at him, needing an answer.

"Because I don't just want to kiss her," Mahad explained. "I mean, I want to do that too, but I love the focused expression she gets when translating tablets. I love how she hides a laugh behind her hand when she's trying to be proper. I enjoy spending time with her, talking about anything and everything. And…" He shifted awkwardly as his face turned slightly red. "I feel like I've known her for years. Something just tells me she's the one."

"That's wonderful," Tea smiled at him.

"It is," he said. "But we have to get through the meet-the-family phases first. I mean, my parents love her, but I haven't met her brothers yet. Ishizu mentioned her family is complicated, and her brother Odion is very protective of her and their little brother, Marik. That makes me nervous. But it won't change how I feel."

"You're so lucky," Tea let her gaze fall to the ground. "When does it stop hurting?"

"There's no real answer to that," Mahad told her. "But I'll ask you this. Whom do you always enjoy spending time with? Whom is the first person you want to share good news with? Whom do you always want to see happy?"

 _Yugi._ Tea loved all of her friends, but Yugi was the first person she thought of with each of Mahad's questions. She looked up at him. "You knew the answer I'd come to, didn't you?"

"I had a guess," he said. "But don't jump into anything right away. Let this heartbreak fade before trying something. And make sure you clear the air with the twins. I don't want to hear Mana complaining that three of her closest friends are being awkward with each other."

"All right," Tea promised. "Tomorrow I'll talk to Yugi and Atem."

"Good," Mahad stood up and stretched. "Now how about I take you home?"

* * *

"Guys, quit it! You'll wake her up!" someone hissed.

"Only if you don't shut up," another person snickered.

"Yeah, lighten up, Yugi," another giggled.

Tea ignored the voices; she was too warm and comfortable. Then something soft slammed into her face. She opened her eyes to a field of white. "Guys, we have one rule," Tea pulled the pillow off her face and glared at the culprits: Yugi, Atem, and Mana.

"He did it!" Yugi and Mana pointed at Atem while Atem pointed at his brother. Mana tried to hide a pillow behind her back.

Tea narrowed her eyes and chucked the pillow at Atem. Yugi and Mana laughed as it hit the elder Muto square in the face. "That's for breaking our rule," she crossed her arms and sat up.

"Yeah, Atem, one rule," Mana grinned and smacked him with her pillow.

"You started it," Atem used the pillow Tea threw to hit back.

"Guys," Yugi rolled his eyes and came over to Tea. "Sorry for waking you up."

"It's okay," Tea kissed him on the cheek. "How about we get them?" She picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it at the other two.

"Now it's on!" Mana charged at the pair on the couch and swatted both of them with her pillow. Tea grabbed another and fought back, forcing her friend to retreat.

"Don't forget us!" Two ripe-smelling pillows worked their way into the fray, courtesy of Joey and Tristan.

"Ew, when was the last time you guys washed these?" Tea gagged at the smell of the cloth that hit her.

"Who knows?" Joey shrugged and threw it at Yugi.

Soon the fight overtook the entire living room as the six threw whatever pillows were within reach and swatted with others.

"Ah, to be young again," Grandpa Muto said from the doorway.

* * *

"Who are you going to talk to first?" Kisara asked her as they spotted the twins by their lockers. "I can distract the other for you."

"How?" Tea looked at her white-haired friend.

"Easy," Kisara adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "I need primary sources for my history papers, and I'm struggling with my computer project. Which one I work on right now will depend on which Muto you want to see."

"Sometimes it's scary how good you are at deflecting attention," Tea sighed. "How did you get so good at this?"

Kisara's bangs fell over her sapphire eyes. "It's complicated," she answered. "The short version is that things went better if I didn't screw up. Or if I did, no one could know."

"I'm sorry," Tea apologized, realizing she touched a sensitive subject for her friend. "I didn't mean to… "

"It's okay," Kisara brushed her bangs back. "I'm not going to get mad for you stumbling into something I don't want to talk about because you didn't know. But I can't promise I won't get annoyed if you push it."

"I won't," the brunette promised. "But I hope you know you can talk to us any time."

"I know," the white-haired girl smiled. "And I will when I'm ready or can't avoid it anymore. Whichever comes first. Now I'm going to go distract Atem so you and Yugi can have your moment."

"Thanks, Kisara," Tea waved off her friend.

Kisara walked over to the twins and pulled her history book out of her bag. After a minute, Atem followed her down the hallway towards the library.

"I had a feeling Kisara was a distraction," Yugi noticed Tea coming toward him.

"It was her idea," Tea gave him a half smile. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah," Yugi closed his locker. "So you overhead our conversation yesterday?"

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but yes," Tea admitted. "I'm sorry, Yugi."

"So am I," Yugi looked down. "I know you like Atem. He's an idiot to turn you down."

"No, Yugi, I'm the idiot," Tea cut in. "I was attracted to his looks—"

"So is everyone," Yugi gave a bitter frown.

"Let me finish," Tea bit her lip. "I wasn't seeing the amazing guy next to me. The guy I can always count on, the first person I run to share anything. The guy who's helped me through my ups and downs. I think I just needed a push to realize it all."

"Are you sure?" Yugi hesitated with a smile. "Tea, I can't really say when I started loving you, and I've hoped for a long time. I do want you to be happy, but—"

Tea cut him off by pressing her lips against his. "I'm sure I want you, Yugi," she said. "I'm a little nervous because I don't want to mess up, but I want to be with you."

"We can take it slow," Yugi promised. He leaned up and kissed her this time. "I like kissing you."

"Same," Tea smiled. She entwined her fingers in his, and they walked to their classroom. "And just so you know, you have a charm all your own that Atem can't hope to compete with."

* * *

Tea lay on the floor panting with Yugi right next to her. "Well that was fun," he said.

"Yeah," Tea agreed. "But now we have to clean up."

"Atem and Mana can do that," Yugi rolled onto his side to face her. "They started it."

"I can go for that," Tea turned to face him, their noses almost touching. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed, pressing themselves closer together.

"Get a room, you two," Mana sat up from her place next to the couch. They broke apart.

"We did," Yugi narrowed his eyes at her as he sat up. "You guys turned it into a war zone."

Mana stuck her tongue out and stood up. "Well I'm hungry. Anyone else want food?"

"You know it," Joey and Tristan jumped to their feet. The three of them headed for the pantry.

"Guys, don't forget we have to watch our supply," Atem sighed and followed them.

"Should we help him?" Yugi asked.

"Later," Tea sat up and leaned into him. "Right now, I just want to be with you."

"Same," Yugi pulled her close, and they kissed again.

Only one thought went through Tea's mind. _I'm so lucky to have him._

* * *

 ** _There it is guys. This is probably the most romance I've ever put in a chapter which, as I said above, is not my specialty, so let me know what you think ('cause I won't get better if you don't tell me what doesn't work). Constructive criticism is always welcome. Hopefully I won't take forever on the next update, and I'll see you next time._**


End file.
